Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-09-21


After this there were no more open
acts Of mutiny; but the crew worked
with a sullenness which showed that
the fire Of discomfort was not
quenched but smoldering. One tri-
fling cause served to foment the bitter
feeling between men and officers, which
under different circumstances would
have been considered q joke.
The mate had g. parrot which was
given the freedom of the decks when
the ship had run down into warm
weather. During the previous home
ward voyage this bird had learned to
repeat some of the most common Or
ders. Until the new crew learned to
distinguish the officers voices from
the imitation, they were frequently
sent aloft to loose sail, or called aft
to the braces, by the mischievous
bird, much to the annoyance of the
mates and the anger OF the men.
Finally, just as the master had made
up his mind to have the parrot kept
below decks, it disappeared. The mate
rever discovered how; but, OF course,
he believed the men had killed and
thrown it overheard.
The man whom the captain wound
ed recovered slowly from the wound,
having for time high fever. He
was taken aft and cared for with
great kindness by the captain and
his wife. despite the fact that ne had
been in the mutiny. When he re-
turned to his bunk in the forecastle,
he had been completely won by the
treatment he had received from the
man he had sought to kill. He there
fore exerted his influence in the inter-
ests of peace; but the breach between
the men and the officers had been
constantly widening during his illness,
and was now too great to be closed
by ordinary measures.
The master was we'll aware Of the
characterization among the crew, and
began to consider the wisdom of
abandoning his gentle measures and
putting the ringleaders in irons. He
enjoined upon his officers watchful-
ness and firmness, but distinctly for
babe any bullying or hazing.
This was just before the ship crossed
the line.
One evening the ship was struck
by q "white squall" of those
marine tornadoes which cost the loss
of many fine ships.
The night had that trespassing
beauty which make the tropics SO de-
lghtful. Sky and sea were nearly the
same shade of clear, soft blue. sepa.
rated by white, flmy haze hiding the
horizon. The stars of the southern
hemisphere shone overhead with q
briIliancy seldom seen in northern lati-
tudes. The crests of the waves
cleaned with phosphorescent light
against the dark background of the
sea. Rising in quick succession, they
made running leaps up the smooth
side of the ship, falling back again
with q musical murmur, down over
the copper sheathing.
The breeze was only fresh enough to
gently incline the deck of the ship, and
the officer of the watch leaned against
the taffrail, looking at the swelling
canvas towering above him in three
snowy pyramids, crossed at inter
walls by the black yards which stuck
out from the taut weather leeches OF
the sails like spines in the dorsal fins
of fish; Or dropping his eyes, he
watched the jelly fish floating by,
glowing with phosphorescent light
red, blue, green and yellow-in such
that he amused himself by
fancying the mermaids we're having a
dance by the light of Chinese lanterns.
Presently a little rattle OF canvas
recalled him from his thoughts, and
raising his head with warning, 'No
higherl" to the helmsman, he noticed
the white haze on the weather hori-
zon was slowly spreading upward.
The low stars grew gradually paler
and then vanished, and the bottom
of the haze instead of merging gradu-
ally into the deep blue of the sea,
to q distinct white line, which
needed but little watching TO show it
was rapidly coming nearer.
The practical eye Of the officer took
in the situation at glance, and run
ming to the break OF the quarter deck
he shouted, "Clew up the royals
Hall down the staysails and the jib-
topsails! Call the watch below"
The men sprang to the clew lines
and downhauls. The tops of the
three pyramids of eail faded away,
giving few indistinct slaps, and the
ran down with g. hoarse
rattle Of the iron hanks. Before the
gear could be hauled snugly home, the
squall struck the ship with q force
that made her reel, throwing her al
most upon her beam ends, and half
burying her amid the whirling foam.
t'Let go everything!" yelled the
as he scrambled up from his
cabin, and rushed to the wheel to put
the ship before the wind.
Away went the sheets and the hal
yards. The canvas beliied and ierked
away from the yards il streaming
tatters with roar like the broadside
of heavy guns. The helm YVES useless;
for the ship was pressed down upon
the water and held motionless, except
for culver like that seen in a fright
ened horse, caused by the springing
and bending of her plant spars. Her
lee yard arms were buried in the wa
ter, and the crew, finding it I'M
possible to stay upon the almost
perpendicular deck, had crawled over
the weather bulwarks to the outside